Xavier Avery was a two-sport athlete coming out of high school — both a heavily recruited football running back and, obviously, a top MLB draft prospect. Ultimately, he chose baseball and signed with the Orioles for $900,000 as a second round pick in the 2008 draft.

What I like best about Avery is his drive and need to become the best baseball player he can possibly be. “Baseball’s the hardest sport to play, but that’s what makes it so great. That’s why I love it, because it’s one of the hardest things to do, to me,” Avery said in an interview with Baltimore Sports Report.

He’s an athletic outfielder with plus-plus speed, but he’s still learning how to use it on the base paths and in the outfield. He’s still becoming more of a baseball player rather than getting by purely on his athletic ability. He relies on speed in the outfield and doesn’t always take the best routes to the ball, but improving as he sees more game action. He projects to stay in center long-term. His arm is slightly below-average, but could become solid-average in the future.

Avery features a short, compact swing and uses quick wrists to spray the ball all over the field. With speed, smarts and determination, he could become a dynamic offensive player in the Carl Crawford mold.

About The Author

Jordan founded Orioles-Nation.com in November 2009. He is a computer science & business major at Towson University. He is the site programmer, designer, editor and primary minor league writer. He also contributes to and maintains the site’s prospect rankings and scouting reports. Jordan's work has been recognized in a number of publications including MASN, The Baltimore Sun, MLB Trade Rumors, FanGraphs and Project Prospect. In addition, Jordan is a special contributor to John Sickels’ (formerly of ESPN.com) blog, Minor League Ball. Read more about Jordan at JordanTuwiner.com and follow him on Google+ and on Twitter @JordanTuwiner.